Funding local authorities - Time for a reappraisal

BECAUSE the cost of processing a planning application is far greater than the fee charged, anyone submitting an application to a local authority next year could, in theory, face fees up to 750% of current rates.

The prospect looms because local authorities need funds to provide services we all take for granted. At the moment a house application costs €65 but processing it can cost almost €750.

Recently developers complained that their costs were out of line because our communications system could not always cope with the detailed documents involved in the planning process.

These impediments, and our overwhelmed planning process, suggest that we need to have a thorough reassessment of how local authorities are funded.

After all, the proposal from the Environment Minister John Gormley to elect a lord mayor with real authority for Dublin doesn’t make much sense unless that office has the resources to deliver services and reform.